The Brussels Post, 1974-03-27, Page 2Spring flooding
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Brussels Post
BRUSSELS
ONTARIO
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 1974 4
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday dternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros.Publishers, Limited.
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Tom Haley - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association.
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $6.00 a year, Others
$8.00 a year, Single Copies 15 cents each.
Second class Mail Registration No. 0562.
Telephone 887-6641.
Why wear seat belts ?
all our souls and with all our
minds, and our neighbour AS,
ourselves,.our problems Of
pollution, _ShortageS and land
uses Would be tore effeetiVely
resolved.
Yours truly,.
Ruth G. Martin',
Ethel, Otit„, NOG I TO.
The Ontario Medical Association has taken a
strong stand aimed at preventing the horrible
automobile accident injuries that every doctor sees
regularity in every hospital in this country.
The OMA, bravely following* the adage about
prevention being more valuable than cure, has
recommended that the wearing of seat belts be made
mandatory in Ontario.
Anyone who has been in a serious car accident
when the wearing of a seat belt has saved a life or
prevented injury* is continually amazed and
depressed by the number of people who never wear
seat belts but say casually "They're too much
bother" or "I don'i really believe that they make us
safer".
At times it seems to the safety conscious that the
non-seat belt wearer has suicidal tendencies or
thinks that he has nine lives. Buzzers and car
ignitions which won't start until the driver buckles
up are useless . They are an annoyance to those who
use the belts conscientiously and the anti-seat belt
people get around them by disconnecting cr tieing
knots.
There is a temptation to say seat belt wearing
can't be legislated--that it's too much government
interference in peoples' lives. Perhaps people can't
be protected against their own will. But that's a little
like saying that the decision to kill or . maim yourself
should be left to personal choice.
A letter to the editor in a recent Toronto Star
points out that the people who are seriously injured
or killed, because they don't wear seat belts are
gambling with the premiums everyone' pays for
health insurance and life insurance. The writer
suggests that $1000 be deductible from OHIP claims
of non seat belt wearers.
This he proposes as an alternative to making seat
belt use mandatory. But is mandatory seat belt
wearing such a revolutionary idea?
It's working in Australia.
The O.M.A. says that after seat belt wearing was
made mandatory in Australia there was an
immediate 20% decrease in auto accident fatalities.
There was also a 28% decrease in serious injury like
para and quadriplegia and other head and spinal
injuries.
Contrary to what we'd expect, Australian
authorities apparently found no difficulty in
enforcing the law. Perhaps the OPP could get tips
from their Australian counterparts if the Ontario law
is changed.
We spend a lot of money in Ontario every year
researching the problem of the drinking driver and
our laws regarding drunk driving are rightly, very
tough. But in Australia figures show that the
mandatory seat belt law is more effective in
preventing injuries and fatalities than the law
regarding drinking drivers.
It, wouldn't hurt to try it out.
To the Editor
In reading the "Agri-notes" in
the Post for March 20, I was
impressed with the thought that if
all of Us, beginning with the
heads of government right down
to the ordinaty citizen would
govern our thoughts and actions
by the two great commandments
given us by Jesus Christ in Matt.
22: 37,38, TO Love the Lord Our
God with all our hearts, and with
Canadians, weary of winter, are taking
advantage of the school winter break in
ever-increasing numbers to get away from
the true north, strong and freezing.
Colleagues casually mention that they're
off to the Caribbean or Mexico or the
Canary Islands or some such exotica. It's
considered passe these days to go merely
to Florida.
Students will be descending in throngs
on places like Athens, Rome, Paris,
London.
Chief reason is thafair travel is no longer
for the rich only. Package deals and charter
flights put a mid-winter break within reach
of us ordinary Joes.
A friend of mine, for example, is going
with his wife for a week in the Channel
Islands, those tiny bits between England
and France. Air fare is only $209 each,
return. And do you know what they're
paying for a hotel room with bath, and
three meals a day? Twenty-eight lousy
pounds a week, because it's the off season.
That is about 60 bucks. They couldn't stay
home for much less. ,
Well, I'm not one for skulking off to the
south and leaving other Canadians to
suffer. I had a choice. I could go over to see
Grandad, or fly to Germany for a few days.
Free. It's not that I don't respect and
admire my father-in-law ; but for some
reason I chose Germany.
I hope I get a better reception than I did
last time I visited that country.
Last time I ventured into Germany was
almost thirty years ago. There was a fairly
large and assorted company in the group I
travelled with: privates, corporals,
sergeants and one Flying Officer - me.
We had tit) trouble getting Into
Germany, even though we had no
passports. Perhaps , it was because of the
efficiency of our tour guides: There were
eight of them, and they were extremely
attentive. They would even accompany One
when one had to relieve Oneself.
The guides were tastefully arrayed ifi
field-gray; and had similar accessories
ghns.
I can't kick, however. I'll bet I was the
only P.O.W. who rode across the German
border on a bicycle. I couldn't walk
because of a well-aimed kick on the
kneecap, and they were sure as hell not
going to carry me, so they let me ride one
of their bikes.
I'll never forget the first place we stayed
at, in Germany. It was my first taste of that
old-world charm. It lacked a few of the
amenities we spoiled North Americans
are accustomed to, but it had a quaintness
all its own. It was a barn, There was
nobody there but us chickens, the cattle,
and the tour guides.
At that, it was practically cosy after a
couple of weeks living in a box-car, in
Holland. It was a mite chilly, being
November, but we paired off and curled up
in the hay, like so many sets of spoons. I
drew a big, ugly Canadian private from St.
Catharines with-a bullet wound in his neck
which stank a bit. But he was. warm.
One of our next stops was the delightful
old city of Brunswick; where we spent an
enchanting three hours in the air raid
shelter, during a raid. It was worth it. The
German equivalent of Red Cross ladies
gave us coffee, ersatz but hot, the first hot
drink we'd had for days.
Some other highlights of my visit were:
the interrogation centre and "solitary"
near Frankfort; rolling on a train through a
night attack on Leipzig, windows
shattering, flares and bombs falling; a look
from a train at' the appalling rubble of
Hamburg; hitch-hiking back from deep
inside the Russian lines to Rostock; a visit
to the concentration camp at Celle:
This visit couldn't be more interesting,
but it should be mote comfortable. I'm not
going by bicycle, but by jet, And my kid
brother, the Colonel ; is over there., He
didn't know enough to get Out of the air
force and has nothing to look forward' t6
but a big, tat pension any day now, But
he'd better have the band out, the fed
carpet down, and the liebfraiiiiiiith laid on,
Or he's iii deep trouble.
Sugar and Spice
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